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"Clare was very, very upset about the Prime Minister's approach to Iraq and she had many sleepless nights and had mentioned resigning," Mrs Short said.

"I must say that I prefer Robin Cook's approach - he felt as if he had no choice but to resign, and did it."

Speaking from her home in Birmingham, where Miss Short still stays when she visits her Ladywood constituency, Mrs Short said that her daughter is following the lead of Mr Blair, who is misguided.

"I still pay my Labour Party subscription, but I am deeply concerned by what they are doing at the moment. If I was an MP, I would definitely rebel against the party over Iraq," she said.

Mrs Short, a retired teacher, said that she had spoken at length to her daughter last week at a family gathering to mark the 16th anniversary of her husband Frank's death.

The day was, she said, already loaded with emotion. Mother and daughter had visited Mr Short's grave in Birmingham.

It was obvious, she added, that Miss Short was in a very fraught state - her head was swimming with politics and memories of her father's death.

As they talked, they both agreed, however, that the war should not be fought without a second resolution, she said. "On Sunday, Clare and I were discussing the situation and we had our decisions made - we were against the war," said Mrs Short.

She was surprised to discover that her daughter had decided to remain in the Government. "This has been the hardest decision of her life, and I know it has affected her deeply," she said.

"Clare has her own reasons for staying in the Government and it is probably because she feels that there is a job to do. Clare has always been very passionate about her job," she added.

"She has worked for peace in Africa and always wants to help the underdog." Despite her criticism, Mrs Short said that she ultimately understood her daughter's reasons for remaining in the Cabinet.

"She thinks that staying will do more good than resigning. Your opinions change sometimes if you know all the facts and she is obviously hearing more facts than most of us," she said.

"That said, it is important to point out that Robin Cook had a very different job to Clare. As International Development Secretary she is more directly involved in people's lives and I think she is acutely aware of this."

Mrs Short said that she is disillusioned with the Parliamentary Labour Party over its handling of the Iraq crisis, and can barely read a newspaper or watch the television at the moment.

"During the last week when I have watched the news, I have thought: 'If that is the House of Commons, then God help us'."